Recent Posts

Mar 03, 2019 by Michelle Bruno
The theme for this year’s ExhibitorLive, “Connect with Your Species,” took engagement to another level. The annual event, which includes an exhibition of the top technology suppliers in the trade show and corporate event marketing space, wrapped up on February 27 in Las Vegas. While augmented reality, virtual reality and holograms were the stars of the show, there were plenty of other technologies on display to capture the imagination and business sensibilities of event marketers.
E...

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Jan 30, 2019 by Michelle Bruno
Meeting planners have lots of choices to make when placing their events in hotels. Some of the demands that hotels make are non-negotiable. Using an in-house audio-visual service provider is not one of them. In most cases, planners are entitled to utilize the services and expertise of a preferred, third-party AV contractor. They have certain “rights” which they can express during the contract negotiation process.
PLANNERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO:
Ask the hotel whether or not the use of a...

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Jan 24, 2019 by DeDe Mulligan
A milestone in our lives, Graduation season is right around the corner. With roughly 7,000 higher learning institutions planning these ceremonies twice a year along with department receptions, campus festivities, career fairs, and seasonal galas, it can be challenging to create a memorable experience for the graduates, families and faculty.
Want to make this event even more special? Make it shorter? Less stressful? Follow these ideas over the next several months to meet these objectives....

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Jan 11, 2019 by Cynthia Corona
Film festivals big and small have proven to be an economic boon for the localities that host them. Take for example the Sundance Film Festival, which over an 11-day period in 2017 generated $151.5 million for the Utah economy. Even lesser known festivals can draw tens of thousands of attendees, like the International Palm Springs Film Festival, which attracts over 160,000 attendees to the small city of Palm Springs, whose resident population is less than 50,000.
While few festivals have t...

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User Review

Jan 03, 2019 by Lillian Taylor
2019 Event Technology Trends
This past year saw many advancements in event technology, and 2019 promises to improve on some of the most cutting-edge solutions. Lately, there’s been buzz about facial recognition, block chain, RFID, immersive experiences, live streaming, and using social media in innovative ways. Here’s a sneak peek at what we believe the industry can expect in the coming year.
Facial Recognition
As we mentioned in our last blog post, facial recognition is one trend that ...

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Dec 21, 2018 by Lillian Taylor
Earlier this year, we gave you the rundown on must-have technology trends for 2018. Now we have the benefit of hindsight to identify the top trends that have been the most popular at events around the country. Technology such as touchscreen displays and video walls have now become the norm, and are being joined by newer solutions that have been more widely and effectively used during the past 12 months. Let’s take a look at what worked in 2018, and how you can implement trending technology...

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Dec 19, 2018 by Michelle Bruno
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) held its annual meeting and exhibition, Expo! Expo!, in New Orleans, December 11-13. Of all the product categories represented on the exhibition floor and in the conference rooms, technology stood out in the 2018 edition of the event.
IAEE programmers brought back the Tech Startup Pavilion exhibition floor and the Tech Startup Experience & Pitch Competition (a robot won). The conference this year also featured Te...

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Nov 16, 2018 by Lillian Taylor
With the holidays right around the corner, party, gala, and special event planning is in full effect. From the food to the music to the entertainment and ambiance, you’ll want to set the stage for a fun and sophisticated event – without going over budget. A key component in taking your party from drab to fab is the use of audio visual technology such as lighting, LED video walls and displays, and a top-notch sound system.
Lighting
With the addition of intelligent lighting, an ord...

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Nov 01, 2018 by DeDe Mulligan
A great laptop can make or break workforce productivity. If employees are waiting for apps to load, processing to complete or require IT maintenance support often, your company could be on the losing side of efficiency.
While the market is flooded with laptops, not all are created the same. The key factors to evaluate are power, battery life, features, and value. All of the ones listed below, except the MacBook Pro, natively run Windows 10 Professional version.
As you look ahead to 2019, w...

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"Since moving to SmartSource, my meeting experience has changed dramatically. I used to be stressed and almost panicked on the opening morning of the first two days of the meeting..."

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